The chlorine gas has a greenish-yellow appearance.
The gas produced a green-like sea above the man's head it seemed as if he was drowning. He flailed his arms helplessly.
Worse than any dream imaginable, but like a dream, in that he is unable to do anything to help.
These were the first gas masks used in 1915
Again in the realm of a dream, but more of a nightmare with the horror of a moan falling towards him in the throes of death, but he is a statue, incapable of helping.
| Poison Gas Deaths: 1914-1918 | |||
| Country | Non-Fatal | Deaths | Total |
| British Empire | 180,597 | 8,109 | 188,706 |
| France | 182,000 | 8,000 | 190,000 |
| United States | 71,345 | 1,462 | 72,807 |
| Italy | 55,373 | 4,627 | 60,000 |
| Russia | 419,340 | 56,000 | 475,340 |
| Germany | 191,000 | 9,000 | 200,000 |
| Austria-Hungary | 97,000 | 3,000 | 100,000 |
| Others | 9,000 | 1,000 | 10.000 |
| Total | 1,205,655 | 91,198 | 1,296,853 |
Trying to show that never will the person who has not experienced this know what is is like unless they could follow that wagon on its steady journey to collect the dead. There is no honor fallen as they are treated as carelessly as rags and thrown into the wagon.
This line seconds the idea of the horror of this man's death. Shockingly apparent in the face are the white's of the man's eyes, and it is almost as if the man is still able to see.
| SITE | % |
| Eyes | 86.1 |
| Respiratory tract | 75.3 |
| Scrotum | 42.1 |
| Face | 26.6 |
| Axilla (armpits) | 12.5 |
| Arms | 11.7 |
| Legs | 11.4 |
| Abdominal regions | 6.4 |
| Hands | 4.3 |
| Feet | 1.5 |
The gas was caustic, and had it's worst effect on moist areas of the body, hence if you look at the above list you will see that is the case. The effects to the skin would be blistering that would worsen the longer the exposure. Blistering would start serveral hours or several days later. The mildest reaction would be reddening and itching, but the worst ones would be large blisters that became gangrenous. Again, the greater the exposure the greater the reaction
To be taken literally, his face is ghastly, shallow, gaunt, without life, and depicts a horrible death; so horrible that even the devil is capable of being repulsed by the horror.
The Devil is looking sick
Once again, something that most people will never experience, but if they were to, they would hear the blood pushed up by the movement of the wagon as it bounces over every bump, and is pushed out of the body in a sound like that of phlegm coming from the lungs. The lungs being described as frothed corrupted is symbolic of disease, and invokes a feeling of something needing to be cleansed from the body.
Fluid In Lungs Breathing Sound File
A continuation of the descriptions using disease, cancer is used because of its ability to completely destroy the body in a painful and slow process, and for that reason it is called obscene.
Cud is the half digested food that is regurgitated by a cow and chewed on. The process is perpetual and the resulting taste is bitter.
Cow links:
Symbolic of that which is opposite of nourishment, and is instead destructive.
A statement saying that if all that was stated in the poem were seen by the reader, then there would be no honor in telling to our youth, that are deluded into believing there there is honor and glory to be earned for themselves by going to war.
Armies Mobilized and Total Casulaties: 1914-18
The lie of the old latin phrase: "It is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland." The ending shows how paradoxical it is to say "Dulce et decorum est / por patria mori," because as can be inferred from the imagery of the poem, there is no honor or sweetness to be earned, but only horror and death, from fighting in the war.
Copyrights Reserved: Michael Eriksen, 1999